Cherokee County School District SAT scores dipped slightly last school year, but still remain ahead of state and national averages.

Results released Tuesday show the district had an overall average score of 1560, a slight decline from the previous year's 1578.

Last school year, 983 seniors took the exam, which is 20 percent less than the 1185 students who took the exam the previous year.

The district's overall average remains higher than the state's average of 1460 and the national average of 1509.

"We're always excited when we are well above the state," said Dr. Susan Padgett-Harrison, district director of student assessment.

Dr. Padgett-Harrison said the 18-point decrease "was not statistically significant," noting the decline in the number of students taking the exam could have played a role.

In its report released Tuesday, the school district notes the economic recession could have impacted student participation rates at the local, state and national levels. Students must pay $45 every time they take the exam.

Creekview High School earned the highest average of the county's five traditional high schools.

The school's first graduating class averaged 1,588, with scores of 540 in math, 529 in reading and 519 in writing.

Principal Bob Eddy said he was pleased his first graduating class perform so well.

"Obviously, we are excited about those results with our first senior class," he said. "The kids worked hard, and the teachers worked hard."

Eddy said Creekview's SAT preparation classes as well as daily instruction helped his students perform well on the three-part exam.

However, in fairness to other schools that saw slight decreases, Eddy noted a different set of students take the exam each year, and the SAT is the "hardest to track and get a handle on."

"We all do what we can to prepare [students] academically," Eddy said of district principals and teachers.

Sequoyah High School saw its average increase to 1,572 from 1,565, with reading jumping to 525 from 519 and writing to 518 from 511, but math dipping to 529 from 535.

Cherokee High School's average dropped to 1,527 from 1,537, with scores up in math to 523 from 520, but down in reading to 512 from 520 and in writing to 492 from 497.

Etowah High School's overall average also decreased to 1,548 from 1,623, with reading declining to 514 from 543, math dropping to 532 from 557 and writing dipping to 502 from 523.

Woodstock High School's average dropped slightly as well to 1,573 from 1,582. The school's reading score remained at 524, but math dropped to 531 from 537 and writing to 518 from 521.